11/19/14 11/19/14 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] >> from pacifica this is democracy now. is a difficult morning. this is one of the most difficult instance. people were in the middle of prayers at 7:00 in the morning. this is a horrible massacre. in the middle of the prayers, the attackers murdered people with guns and axes and knives in their hands. >> in the deadliest attack on israeli civilians are more than three years, four rabbis, including three born in the united states and a police officer, are killed in jerusalem when two palestinian cousins stormed a synagogue during morning prayers. we will speak with columbia university professor rashid

khalidi, former israeli soldier eran efrati, and israeli journalist al-aqsa -- amira hass. then to the keystone xl pipeline. >> any senator wishing to vote or wishing to change a vote, if not on this road, the yeas are 5 the 60 vote threshold having not been achieved, the bill is not passed. >> in a dramatic showdown tuesday, the senate rejected legislation that would have forced approval of the keystone xl pipeline. the measure fell one vote short of the 60 votes needed for passage. now republicans are threatening to bring the bill back in january. we will speak with cyril scott from south dakota and guardian reporter suzanne goldenberg. all of that and more coming up. welcome to democracy now, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman.

senate republicans have blocked a sweeping measure aimed at reining in the national security agency's dragnet surveillance. the usa freedom act would have ended the bulk collection of telephone records by requiring the nsa to make specific requests to phone companies for a user's data, rather than vacuuming up all the records at once. it would also create a panel to advocate for privacy rights before the secret foreign intelligence surveillance court. the measure was a direct consequence of the 2013 leaks by whistleblower edward snowden exposing unchecked government surveillance and data collection. but on tuesday, republicans helped defeat the bill in a 58 to 42 vote, two shy of the 60 needed to advance. the republican-controlled house passed a watered-down version earlier this year. the measure faces an uncertain fate next year when republicans take full control of congress ahead of a june deadline to re-authorize the phone records collection program.

in another major vote the senate , has narrowly rejected a measure that would have approved construction of the keystone xl oil pipeline. fourteen democrats supported the bill along with all 45 republicans. but with 59 in favor the measure , failed to pass by just one vote. after the tally was announced, a man reportedly with the lakota tribe of south dakota burst out in song. ♪ >> sergeant at arms will restore order. order in the gallery. >> republicans have vowed to resurrect the bill in january, when they hold the senate majority. speaking ahead of the vote, house speaker john boehner said a potential veto from president obama would be tantamount to calling the american people "stupid." >> keystone pipeline veto would send the signal that this president has no interest in

listening to the american people. a veto and at an overwhelmingly popular bill would be a clear indication that he doesn't care about the american people's priorities. it would be equivalent of calling the american people stupid. >> we'll have more on the senate's keystone xl vote later in the broadcast. the unrest that has gripped jerusalem has escalated after a deadly attack on five israeli civilians. the victims were killed when armed palestinians stormed a synagogue during morning prayers. it was the deadliest attack on israeli civilians in more than three years in the worst in jerusalem since 2008. the dead included three us-born rabbis, a british-born rabbi, and a police officer. seven worshipers were injured. the assailants were shot dead by police. the popular front for the liberation of palestine has claimed responsibility. the attack came after weeks of unrest fueled in part by a dispute over jerusalem's holiest site known to muslims as the noble sanctuary and known to

jews as the temple mount as well as the continued of expansion of settlements and news jerusalem. after the killings, israeli settlers launched reprisal attacks in the occupied west bank, targeting a school and palestinian motorists on a road near have breath. at least five palestinians were wounded after israeli forces fired rubber coated bullets. more on the attack in jerusalem after the headlines. a new united nation's report warns the militant group islamic state has enough of a weapons stockpile to continue its war for territory in iraq and syria for up to two years. much of the isis arsenal was stolen from the u.s. supplied iraqi army, which has been overrun by isis fighters throughout the year. report recommends sanctions to cut off the group's access to money and weapons, including the seizing of its oil tankers. briefing the security council, the u.s. high commissioner for u.n. hights -- the

commissioner for human rights said fighting isis on a political level may be more effective than u.s.-led airstrikes. >> i am poor the council to overturn isil's ideology of violence and that for the sake of the rights of all in iraq. whether men or women, old or young. ultimately, support given to the ideological front may be more effective than airstrikes in bringing an end to the long-standing suffering of the people of iraq. >> also addressing the council, emergency relief coordinator valerie amos said over 2 million iraqis living under isis control are in need of urgent aid. >> there are currently 3.6 million iraqis living in areas under the control of isil and affiliated armed groups.

2.2 million of them are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. and despite acute needs, including for shelter, health, and food, in areas most impacted by the conflict, only meager amounts of assistance have been delivered to areas under isil control to date. >> india and cuba have reported new cases of ebola in citizens who were in west africa. a cuban doctor will be treated in geneva after contracting the disease in sierra leone, where he was a member of cuba's 165-member medical team. meanwhile, an indian man is being held in isolation at delhi's airport after recovering from ebola in liberia. the obama administration has asked congress to approve $6.2 billion in funding to help the international ebola response. on tuesday, president obama urged lawmakers to approve the funding before the december recess. >> although we should feel optimistic about our capacity to

solve the ebola could -- crisis, we cannot be complacent simply because the news attention on it has waned. we have to stay with it. that is why i'm calling congress to make sure that it approves, before it leaves, the emergency funding request that we put forward to respond to ebola both domestically and internationally. >> the united nations has approved a landmark measure to seek the potential prosecution of north korean officials for crimes against humanity. on tuesday, the united nations general assembly voted to refer abuses by the north korean regime to the international criminal court. it comes months after a un investigation found north korean leaders could be guilty of major crimes, including state-sanctioned killings, starvation and torture. the final vote was 119 to 19, with 55 abstentions. cuba was among the countries to oppose the measure, calling it a "tool to sanction and condemn

developing countries." missouri governor jay nixon has appointed a commission to make recommendations for dealing with the social and racial justice issues raised by the killing of unarmed teenager michael brown. nixon unveiled the 16 member panel tuesday. divisions,eal the exposed by michael brown's death, and use this defining moment as the moment we begin to walk a different path. while there are clearly a diverse group, they are united by the shared passion to promote understanding, to hasten healing, to ensure equal opportunities and education and employment, and to safeguard the civil rights of all of our citizens. >> the move comes just one day after governor nixon declared a state of emergency in missouri ahead of the grand jury's pending decision on whether to indict the officer who killed michael brown. darren wilson.

local gun sellers are reporting a spike in weapons sales as a decision nears. one store says it sold two to three times more weapons than normal in recent weeks, never to 30 to 50 per day. missouri has executed death row prisoner leon taylor after his last-minute appeals were denied. taylor was convicted of the 1994 murder of a gas station attendant in kansas city. he had sought clemency from missouri governor jay nixon and a stay from the supreme court , but both efforts were rejected tuesday night. taylor, who is african-american was initially sentenced to death , by a judge after the trial jury deadlocked. when the judge's sentence was thrown out, an all-white jury then sentenced taylor to death. defense attorneys argued he was penalized for successfully appealing his first conviction. lawyers also cited a history of child abuse beginning at the age of five. taylor's execution is the ninth in missouri this year.

president obama has ordered a review of the nation's hostage policy following the execution of americans kidnapped by the islamic state. family members of the hostages have criticized u.s. government policy of refusing to engage with their captors, including the payment of ransom. freed isis captives have said american and british hostages suffered the worst abuses, because of the militants' political grievances and their governments' refusal to buy their freedom. a number of european hostages were released after their governments paid a ransom. but the white house says its new review will not include the prohibition on ransom payments. administration officials say not paying ransoms ultimately protects more americans by making them less valuable targets. and more than a dozen lgbt couples have tied the knot in kansas, days after the states marriage equality ban was overturned. the couples exchanged their vows in a mass ceremony.

>> it means we have some equality -- >> it is a new start. >> it can only go up from here. that is what i'm very happy for us and for other couples. >> on tuesday, the kansas supreme court ruled marriage licenses can only be issued in johnson county, setting up a new potential court challenge. and those are some of the headlines, this is democracy now, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. >> welcome to all our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. we turn now to jerusalem where five israelis died tuesday when a pair of palestinians armed with meat cleavers and a gun stormed a synagogue during morning prayers. it was the deadliest attack on civilians in jerusalem since 2008. the dead included three u.s.-born rabbis, a british-born rabbi and a druze police officer. one of the slain rabbis, mosheh

twersky, was from two of the most prominent families in orthodox judaism. seven worshippers were injured. the assailants were shot dead by police. the popular front for the liberation of palestine claimed responsibility for the attack which came after months of mounting tension in jerusalem. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu accused palestinian president mahmoud abbas of inciting violence in the city and said the killings were part of a "battle over jerusalem." >> as a nation, we will settle the score with every terrorist and their dispatchers, and we have proof we will do so. that no one must take the lawn their own hands. even if spirits are riled and boiling. we are in a long campaign against terrorism. it accompanies us.

we always overcame it and we will this time as well. there are some who want to uproot us from our state capital. they will not succeed. we are in the battle over jerusalem, our eternal capital. >> palestinian president mahmoud abbas condemned the attack, which came after weeks of unrest fuelled in part by a dispute over jerusalem's holiest site, known to muslims as the noble sanctuary, containing the al-aqsa mosque, the third holiest in islam, and to jews as the temple mount because the two biblical temples once stood there. strongly condemn this incident and do not accept under any circumstances the attacks on civilians. at the same time, we condemn these actions and we also condemn the attacks on the al-aqsa mosque. israel,irector of domestic's are cured service -- security service, dismissed that abbas is out of the attack.

he said a number of to the massacre including the murder of a palestinian teenager who was found burned to death in jerusalem in july and the discussions in the prayer auditable mount. >> we go to jerusalem where we're joined by amira hass is the ha'aretz correspondent for the occupied palestinian territories. she is the only israeli journalist to have spent several years living in and reporting from gaza and the west bank. why. you lay out the scene for us in jerusalem right now. >> hi, amy. this came from the neighborhood where the murder took place. before that, i haven't been able to go to the neighborhood where the two perpetrators lived, but i went to some other palestinian neighborhoods of jerusalem. both palestinian and israeli

neighborhoods seemed to be very, very reserved. it was fairly clear on the palestinian part. so many, many policeman, border police. i even saw them whenever withhing the big balloons a camera over the neighborhood. the streets were almost empty. while in the neighborhood and the jewish neighborhood, things were normal, but very reserved, very restrained. i could not enter inside the synagogue because i'm not allowed as a woman to be there. i did talk to some people. men who did the killing used to work in the neighborhood in some shops. that is what i was told, though i did not verify it yet.

i did speak to some palestinians in jerusalem. what was remarkable is that they , do notpprove of it approve of this murder, but they share with those who perpetrated -- they share the sense of despair and anger that palestinians live with all the time. all the time. people do not dare to condemn, even though some people feel uncomfortable about such a killing, such an operation. by the way, i don't think the popular front adopted it officially. people say the two youngsters are members or fans of the popular front. are notssarily members necessarily that they got in order from the popular front,

but this is still to be seen. yes, it is very, very tense. i was making the comparison between the neighborhood where , veryived, the two men in the, no investment livelihood, and the welfare of the people. while this neighborhood is relatively a new neighborhood under lands of the village of the destroyed palestinian spacious, many new newcomers, immigrants from other countries. the two guys work there, i think they faced every morning -- they the facing every day israeli apartheid, very clearly. and there is no [indiscernible]

leadership to offer them struggle with hope, a whichle that yields fruit gives hope for a change. everything summit he told me also from the popular front, we are tried me, everything. we try negotiations, we try demonstrations, we've tried nice relations with jews -- we've tried so many things and nothing brings change and stops this reality of apartheid. , how would you describe the tension in recent weeks in jerusalem compared to previous years and the ongoing conflicts between two's and palestinians in jerusalem? >> daily confrontations with the police. there is more police, there is more confrontations. there are many, many racist

manifestations on the part of israeli jews in the streets of jerusalem against palestinians. so there is fear among palestinians to go and spend time in the west side of the city were most of the are many work as well as to -- or many of them more and more police. especially the old city and entrance to al-aqsa -- somebody told me it is like we're going to a theater and we have to take a ticket from the police in order to enter al-aqsa or even enter the old city. a guy who lives in the old city tommy, i cannot go to my own house. the police are there. there are checkpoints. they don't let me go from this place or go -- and people who do not live in the old city, you feel the israeli measures to remind palestinians in jerusalem

that they are not natural residents of the place, natural -- natives of the place, but they are actually there on probation. they live in jerusalem on probation provided they behave nicely our behavior according to the israeli regulations. this is the sense you get. you get the sense more than ever as athey are hearing this gesture, not because it is their native right. >> in october, israel shut down the al-aqsa compound in the old city of jerusalem are the first time in 14 years following the activist.f an israeli palestinian president abbas condemned it as a declaration of

war on the palestinian people. the site known to jews a andable mount host them out the dome of the rock. a resident of jerusalem said he was turned away after arriving for his morning prayers. >> this is a collective punishment for something we had nothing to do with. there's no fair government here. justice should be the basis for governance, but there is no justice here. allow jews to go to the root -- willing wall without harassment yet the every day a palestinian is killed. why are we the ones being punished? >> that was jamal tawfiq, a resident of jerusalem. five is really choose have been killed, three of them american citizens born of the united states. where do you see this going from here? >> the most difficult question.

the two sides are giving signs .hey're ready for escalation the more israeli measures, the house of one of the perpetrators running over attack, his house was demolished at night. probably the houses of the two nephews or cousins will be demolished also soon. israeli claimed officially they're going to use more collective measures against the entire palestinian population in jerusalem. also they declared they planned some gesture in the west bank like opening roads that were closed down to palestinian traffic and now they decided not to have this gesture. so there is on this part, clearly in intention to escalate

. as usual, in the past so many years, they do not listen to the message of the palestinians. tools tomproves its repress those demonstrations and expressions of protest. on the palestinian side, there's a lot of confusion because the palestinians in jerusalem can revolt, but there is no leadership, palestinian leadership, that once now to -- uprisinge to lead an in all levels. also in the west bank, the great majority of people i believe, and we have seen the great majority of palestinians are not

really keen on entering a new phase of repression, of terrible israeli repression. gaza is far away. they can sacrifice again and again and again their lives, their houses, but it is not in a position to lead an uprising against the israeli occupation, especially now that again, hamas not in the best terms and the reconciliation is really not working. there is a lot of confusion. jerusalem is left -- they are left quite alone in a desperate attempt to explain to the israelis they have had enough. alsois quite heroic, but not strategized. >> we want to thank you very

much, amira hass, for joining us from jerusalem. ha'aretz correspondent for the occupied palestinian territories, the only israeli-jewish journalist have spent many years living in and reporting from gaza and the west bank. a few years ago, she was awarded the international women's media foundation award for lifetime achievement. it was awarded by cnn. a slight correction, five israelis have died, four jews and one druze. when we come back, we will be joined by a palestinian professor and former israeli soldier. stay with us. ♪ [music break]

>> izhar ashdot "a matter of habit." commenting on occupation. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. >> we continue our coverage of the crisis in jerusalem where five israelis died tuesday when a para palestinians armed with

meat cleavers and a gun stormed a synagogue during morning prayers. it was the deadliest attack on israeli civilians in more than three years in the worst in jerusalem since 2008. >> we are joined by two guests in new york, rashid khalidi is edward said professor of arab studies at colombia university. he's the author of several books, including his latest, "brokers of deceit: how the u.s. has undermined peace in the middle east." eran efrati is a former israeli combat soldier turned anti-occupation activist and investigative researcher. his family has lived in jerusalem for seven generations. let's start with you, professor. your response to what has taken place and only yesterday, the killing of the four israeli jews and one druze at the synagogue, but the lead up to that as well. >> tension seven growing since the summer. jerusalem is the flashpoint when on top of the pressure that palestinians are all under,

because of this occupation that is now in its fifth decade, you have the issue of the al-aqsa mosque and calls from the senior government to completely change the status quo to in effect take over the muslim holy place that has been the center of devotion for 1400 years. essentially, due to it what was done to the mosque in hebron muslims are occasionally loud. you are throwing fuel on the fire. ever since the last couple of months, it is just been escalation in tension all over the city. you have increased settlement activity that is the trading neighborhood after neighborhood. arab neighborhoods that have never seemed -- seen armed presence to protect them are slowly being colonized one by one. you are basically turning up the heat on a very, very hot situation, and that is been going on for many months. what's given the inability of

the leaders to be able to negotiate a settlement to the ongoing occupation, do you think there's a possibility we're under the brink of a third intifada? saidthink what amira hass earlier is correct. there is absence of leadership, but also an absence of leadership for the palestinians as a whole. i think that has been signaled over the gaza crisis in the inability of the crossings to put together reconciliation. and to define a strategy. israel has a clear strategy. they won't negotiate forever, but they will not give up control of the occupied territories. a recent stable was made by netanyahu who said we will keep permanent perpetual security and troll of these territories. he basically said, no state, no sovereignty, no independence. you can talk as long as you want, but you will never get an end to occupation.

something has to give here. i agree with amira hass, i think the people are afraid. they are afraid of israeli which a liège in an afraid of the security cooperation between the palestinian authority, which helps the israelis hold him down, and israel. i'm not sure that is where we are going. sadly, we may be going to more horrible grant -- random acts of violence and gives without leadership in various parts of the west bank and jerusalem. >> is there something shifting here from a palestinian public to in israeli perhaps jewish muslim conflict, which certainly involves many more people than just in that area? >> this is grist for the mill them at people who want to turn it into a religious conflict. there certain people on the israeli side and palestinian side, but in the broader arab-muslim world, i mean, this group in sinai, which announced its adherents to the islamic state in syria and iraq --

>> the egyptians. .alks the egyptians sinai group they're called supporters of jerusalem. this is a card these people will play. so, yes, this is not just in the religious tinder, but all over the region. i'm not suggesting that is necessarily -- something is necessarily going to happen, but the israeli government is playing with fire. they have a senior member. he is one of the most three important people in the israeli. he making incendiary statements, his party are saying and doing these that they know who people are. they know how important they are in israeli politics and the kind of support they have. people are afraid. now turneder soldier anti-occupation, activist, eran efrati, your reaction as you see the latest flareup of this

terrible attack yesterday? >> i think we are really trying to understand what happened in jerusalem, we need to understand in a broader context. the broader context of 70 years of ethnic cleansing all over palestine, but definitely in the last 40 years, around specifically the holy side, trying to bring more and more jews into syria instead of palestinians and determine a new history. jews were always there in the old city and around this holy site. so from this situation, the and is to make palestinians leave jerusalem. when i was in the army, in police in jerusalem, the goal is to make people's lives miserable. we are doing for the fact they will not act. we need to make a life miserable so they will be afraid all the time and will not have time to

plan terror attacks. it is, of course, ridiculous. the end goal is to make them want to leave also made them want to do crazy things like attacks on jews and israelis. the second context of will talk about, the last few years. atce the second intifada him the end of the second intifada, bloody on both sides, the palestinians decided to act nonviolent acts. like amira hass mentioned, go to the u.n. all of that was counter in a very, very harsh oppression by israel. officials are calling them terrorists. if you're going to the u.n., you are political terrorist. , you are promoting bds an economic terrorist. people are arrested for that. jerusalem is calling the parliament and telling them, you help them expose bds activist to stop them and --

>> boycott, divestment, sanctions. >> we explained to the palestinians, there is no legitimate way to resist the occupation. there is no legal way to resist them. it will always be ending up with violence. months, jews -- i'm a seven generation jew and was there in the last few month. jews on since the beginning of the summer [indiscernible] one of the killings in july was from the neighborhood. the tension is always there, but the media is not always there and the attention was not always there. for 40 years, nobody seemed to be noticing. in the last 10 years, for israel and since the end of the second and fatah -- we were not living in fear. palestinians never had that

quiet. they always lived in fear. they did not stopping attacked by the police, by the army. by now since the summer, civilians, by mobs on the streets going and looking to lynch people. and they do. two days ago when they found in east jerusalem a bus driver, a palestinian bus trevor and two girls hanged in the middle of this bus after a violent attack on him, lynching him and hanging them up in the middle of the bus. it doesn't seem like nobody is talking -- >> explain that. it was said he committed suicide. >> just like when they came out and said families found out gay and that is why they kill him. in the end, they have to admit he was actually lynched to death. the police came out in this case immediately and said he committed suicide. his pictures going around online. you can see the violent signs on his body and the rope around his

neck. nobody is talking about it. i'm hearing barack obama condemning the stories. i think it is important to understand it is important to condemn violence against civilians, but where was he when violence against palestinians was happening every day? >> i want to ask about the role of americans here financing and helping to support settlement expansion in israel. and the impact that has. >> so much money is being transferred mostly from the evangelical's, but not only weapons companies that fueled his government -- this government and a lot of right-wing zionists in this country is actually being fueled, too. in a lot of ways, the was controlled completely the political situation in israel. the political atmosphere is extremely violent and fascist. not only enabled that, but

making it up with money and support. >> i want to turn to comets president obama made following the attacks on the synagogue yesterday. >> tragically, this is not the first loss of life that we have seen in recent months. too many israelis have died, too many palestinians have died. at this difficult time, i think it is important for both palestinians and israelis to try to work together to lower tensions. the murders for today's outrageous acts represents the kind of extremism that threatens to bring all of the middle east and the kind of spiral from which it is difficult to emerge, and we know how this violence can get worse over time. but we have to remind ourselves that the majority of palestinians and israelis overwhelmingly want peace and be of the racer families knowing

their safe and secure. the united states wants to work with all parties involved. >> that is president obama speaking yesterday in response to the attacks on the jerusalem synagogue. , yoursor rashid khalidi response and how you feel the u.s. should respond? >> the united states is precisely the enabler of all of this. the united states by its diplomatic support prevents any real pressure on israel to stop it from occupation settlement and repression. >> and the tension reportedly between netanyahu and obama? >> that will give you a cup of coffee. the resident can fit in have his hacks but as long as american money is supporting the 50 13 cion, as the

terrible organizations in this country are not stop by the justice department are not stop by the chairs jury -- treasury to settlement activities -- what the president says is meaningless. this is an american-israeli enterprise. the money is largely from the united states. the weapons are from the united states. we are implicated. and we are running interference for israel. when anybody tries to do anything, the british parliament, irish parliament, swedish government, the u.s. objects. whenever anybody tries to do anything diplomatically or in a nonviolent manner such as boycott divestment and sanctions, we are told these are anti-somatic actions. presumably, the palestinians are supposed to lie down and let the bulldozers run over them and go back to negotiations, which netanyahu told us can never lead to an end of occupation. that is the doing of the u.s. >> your background, professor

rashid khalidi? >> my family is a jerusalem family. my uncle was the last elected eric -- air mayor. he served as mayor for three years before british colonialism dealt with him. we are an old jerusalem family. i have cousins living there and i have talked to them. it is scary. ist amira hass reported true. people have families and kids and are really worried about what will happen to their kids. they're worried about -- my cousin has a garden. israeli undercover agents chase people through their garden. it is terrifying. there is nothing you can do about it. the palestinians have no share in the governance of the city. it is ruled by others, for others, for a project that is designed to dispossess them and make them at third class citizens. ultimately, if possible, get as

many of them out. they are treated as if they have absolutely no rights. >> given the worldwide condemnation of the occupation and the continuing refusal of the israeli government to negotiate some kind of just settlement, what do you see and terms of potential hope for any kind of progress? >> one thing that is happening, in this country, there is an awakening of younger people. the kind of people who watch or listen to this show, people who do not consume the mainstream media, people on campuses. there is enormous change in public opinion below the level of the mainstream media. in europe, there is an enormous shift for major european countries have had parliaments or governments actually take a stand. that has yet to be translated into pressure to stop these acts of oppression -- >> sweden has recognized palestine. >> the spanish parliament voted

yesterday, the hours parliament and british parliament. important countries of the world have come around in an official fashion. this will only continue. told,he americans aren't the european media does. you're going to see pressure. the problem is here, in this country. >> finally, netanyahu saying the occupation will remain forever because the borders are indefensible. your response? >> welcome he claims what has happened with the direction of the suppose it islamic caliphate shows while -- why israel has to maintain control. he has been finding excuses for the longest time why israel has to continue settling, has to continue occupying, has to a pressing.upyin

you do not control people by turning them into your enemies, which israel has been doing for 47 years. >> we thank you both for being with us, rashid khalidi, edward said professor of arab studies at colombia university. he's the author of several books, including his latest, "brokers of deceit: how the u.s. has undermined peace in the middle east." and eran efrati is a former , israeli combat soldier turned anti-occupation activist and investigative researcher. when we come back, a very close vote in the senate to defeat the keystone xl pipeline. stay with us. ♪ [music break]

>> there were singing at a rally in downtown manhattan ahead of tuesday's senate vote on the keystone xl pipeline. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with juan gonzalez. >> in a dramatic showdown tuesday, the senate rejected, by a single vote, legislation that

would have approved construction of the keystone xl pipeline. fourteen democrats supported the measure along with all 45 republicans. with just aye votes, the measure 59 failed to pass. after democratic senator elizabeth warren announced the tally. >> any senator wishing to vote or wishing to change a vote, if are on this vote, the yeas 59. the 60 vote threshold having not then achieved, the bill is not passed. >> ♪ >> sergeant at arms will restore order. >> after the vote was recorded, a man reportedly with the lakota tribe of south dakota burst out in song, followed by protesters who called out democrats who voted in support of the pipeline. the keystone xl bill was sponsored by louisiana democratic senator mary landrieu, who faces a battle to keep her seat in a runoff next

month against republican rep. bill cassidy -- who is sponsor of the pro-keystone bill in the house. senator landrieu tried to rally her fellow democrats during the debate before tuesday's vote. doubt,nd a shadow of a that with our partners in canada and mexico, this can be done. in north america can be the super energy powerhouse of the planet. what people in louisiana want, what people in texas want, what people in mississippi want, what people in new jersey want, what people in south dakota and ,llinois and kansas and vermont are good paying jobs. >> among the democrats who refused senator landrieu's plea was senator barbara boxer of california. she said keystone xl stood for "extra lethal." boxer spoke moments before the vote. >> i'm telling you, madam

president, as sure as i'm standing here, when the public health doctors and her sister did with the and they said, you know what? let's be very careful here because this pipeline is going to unleash 45% more of the dirtiest, for the us -- sylvia's oil, and that is why i call it the keystone extra lethal pipeline. i hope we won't voted today. i hope the president will veto it if it passes. i will be on my feet because i came here to protect people like this. thank you and i yield the floor. >> she was pointing to a large photograph next to her of a girl wearing an oxygen mask. after tuesday's vote, republicans vowed to immediately bring the bill back in january, when they'll hold the senate majority. this comes as newly leaked documents reveal the company behind the keystone xl pipeline is engaged in a "perpetual campaign" to mobilize support for an entirely canadian pipeline that could bypass

opposition in the united states. cyril scott, is president of the rosebud sioux tribe in south dakota. and in dallas, suzanne goldenberg is the u.s. environmental correspondent for the guardian. her recent piece is headlined, "revealed: keystone company's pr blitz to safeguard its backup plan." welcome both of you to democracy now! cyril scott, can you talk about your response to the defeat of keystone xl -- at least, for now? >> first of all, good morning. it was a great thing that happened yesterday. i want to thank all the people that voted to oppose it, but as we all know, the fight has just begun. republicans take the house in january. the fight has just started. we have to gear up and be ready and start our own campaign to make sure we secure and up support to stop this black snake

try, buthe uniteesin of ameri.>> y to clear the xl pe if it goeshroueclation of war against your people. could you talk about why you feel that way? carecause we have to take of our children and grandchildren as are proposing to do, not only our children and grandchildren, but your children and grandchildren. this will affect the second-largest water aquifer in the world. we have to protect it at all costs to get your children and our children good clean drinking water. without that, you just can imagine what would happen if that aquifer was ctaminated. it supplies water to six states here in the united states. it is one of the major water

fairways here in the united states. , can youe goldenberg talk about the documents that were just revealed and how they were? werell, the documents obtained originally by greenpeace canada, which made them available to the guardian and other news outlets. becausee interesting they are strategy documents drawn up by it all and public relations, the biggest privately held your firm in the world and was advising transcanada on how to be back opposition and get the second pipeline route through canada. indicates -- the documents indicate at least the company was are you realizing it was facing defeat coming through the united states. talked about

employing as many as 40 people from its staff to work for the company to build so-called grassroots report doesn't support for new routes to the east? the inner privy to thoughts of trans canada. i don't know whether they think it is going to be defeated, but they aren't taking any chances. and neither is the canadian government or the oil companies that are invested in alberta tar sands. there's a tremendous pressure for the energy industry to get that tar sands oil out, to get it to market because they can't now. this is a tremendous source of carbon and it is landlocked. they're looking for routes to market anywhere. so doing that, stung by the huge opposition that they encountered to the keystone project, which put that project on ice for six years, they started to sort of because beyond public relations, but a big sort of plan to get a second route

through. they're talking about mobilizing 34,000 activists. there's a budget for mobilizing those activist and a strategy documents. they sort of say they need to apply intelligent pressure on committed to groups, environment groups, and scientific groups in -- essentially, opposition research disorder stop them from coming out and saying why this pipeline is a bad idea, this pipeline that would go through canada in this case. there's a very big campaign here that goes far beyond what most people would think of as public relation. this is an about buying a few ads on tv, not just about a website, it is about addict astroturf in campaign to defeat -- astroturfing campaign to get this through. --one of the documents reads

--"we will prepare a research profile of key opposition groups by examining public records... traditional media sources... and social media... all relevant findings will be compiled in a written, fully documented report, to include a summary of findings and an assessment of strengths and weaknesses... we will begin with the council of canadians. other possibilities include equiterre, the david suzuki foundation, avaaz and ecology ottawa." suzanne goldenberg? yes, that is true. this is what would pass it for them political circles, this is opposition research. they're trying to find a potential weak points on their opponents to use these to discredit their opponents. and there's another section in their where they talk about -- where they talk about scientific reports, very fleetingly, that would show this project would be of that idea because it would open up the tar sands to further

development and it would make climate change a lot worse. some of the information a proposed digging up is financial information. so there is a strategy here that hints at discrediting and immersing anybody who speaks up -- and embarrassing anybody who speaks up against is alternative pipeline for canada. , i want to ask you about the recent signals from the white house, president obama sending a lot more skeptical about the pipeline and in some unnamed sources saying after today's vote that even if the senate tries to bring it back up in january with the new republican majority that the president is likely to veto that because he wants instead for -- he doesn't want the congress making this decision, he wants the scientific study and his final decision to hold sway. are you encouraged by that?

>> yes, i'm really encouraged. indian country has put a lot of stock in our president, president obama, so we support him as he supports us today. we are very excited he has this veto power within him, and that he is going to do the right thing not only for indian country, but for all americans. >> suzanne goldenberg, you report edelman, the biggest privately held pr from has previously been drawn into controversies about its position on climate change. you said it declared on august 7 it would no longer take on campaigns that deny global warming. what is the keystone xl relationship with global warming as the senate clearly wilcontroa few weeks. >> well, the alberta tar sands are one of the biggest stores of

carbon on the planet. the science is very clear. we cannot dig up all this oil and hope to avoid catastrophic climate change. there is going to be a report coming out from the u.n. environment program in a couple of hours, later today, and it is going to make that point again. we are on a road to busting through our carbon budgets. we are burning up this oil much too fast, creating far too many greenhouse gas emissions, and we are not meeting the targets that science tells us we need to reach to avoid dangerous effects of climate change. , usually in south dakota, now in washington, your next step at this point? mary landrieu pushed very hard come also pushing for her own senate seat. she is in a runoff and her opponent, congressman, is the sponsor of the row xl pipeline bill in the house. what you are planning to do? how your strategizing?

>> we're confident great sioux nation to gather next week there and rosebud to start our strategy not only with the great sioux nation, but 350.org and all of our supporters, we will come up with a game plan also to keep the fight going and by all means, we need to stop this keystone xl pipeline. we talked about jobs. 50 to bury jobs. -- temporary jobs. they will be flooding our reservations to do harm within our state and our reservations. >> we will leave it there but continue to cover this issue. cyril scott is president of the rosebud sioux tribe in south dakota. suzanne goldenberg with the guardian, speaking to us from dallas. democracy now! is looking for

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>> joanne: i love food that is simple to prepare, but you get great results in the kitchen with every little effort. i'm going to show you a few of those recipes today. i'm going start first of all by making some grilled bread with prosciutto di parma and tomatoes. and together with my student sarina we're going to make some basmati rice with roasted pepper and peas. and to go on the top of that some sizzling shrimp with pimenton and sherry. so don't go anywhere, you're in for a treat with some simple, but very elegant dishes. [ music ]